Defend That Nation
by MagnifiedSun
Summary: After the events in Egg Nation a World Submit is held in Japan, and the Guardians are meeting more nations than ever before! Things have been quiet since last time but still, is it really a good idea to have so many nations in Easter's backyard?
1. Words For Tsumugu

**Defend That Nation- Words For Tsumugu**_  
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><p><em>A few months later…<em>

The day was slightly overcastted, but the looming clouds shielding the earth from the sun's rays were deceptive in that they brought neither rain nor cool weather. For despite the curtain veiled in the endless blue sky a fair amount the sun's heat and light penetrated through. The bustling bloom of spring had long faded which left only a strong growth of green on the trees gently rustling in the sparse breeze. The grass also shared this health; the lush blades were not dry or brittle but instead soft and more than inviting. Fortunately this nature had a proper canvas where its brilliant pallet could be enjoyed, a local park hidden by the towering skyscrapers and metropolitan area surrounding the secret garden. Today more than a few hustling urban dwellers slipped under the trees' canopy and were tempted to lie down by the alluring silk skin of the grass. Winding paths were stroked all across the large park; sketching endless adventures to be had on those roads for the men, women and children present.

In fact the day could not have been lovelier; or at least to anyone who wasn't Tsumugu Hinamori, because what started as a pleasant errand with his daughters had turned into a soul crushing experience as little Ami casually prattled on about the one topic that swiftly slew his tender beating heart whenever mentioned… boys. The mere word produced a thunderclap that would immediately shatter his peaceful inner world, and now Ami was carelessly slinging such a destructive word while the three of them walked through the park on what was once such a lovely day. His older daughter, Amu, made no attempt to aid the distraught man since she only found his overreactions to be more trouble than they were worth, not to mention stressful. She let out yet another irritated and exhausted sigh as her father pathetically begged Amu to intervene. Ran and Su, being the only two Guardian Characters present as Miki was in bed with a cold, advised the unsympathetic girl with flailed gesturing motions that pointed from Amu to her father.

After lazily submitting to their will, she only offered the desperate plea with an unsure shrug which sent her father spiraling further into his depressed state. Amu ignored his tearing eyes which completely won Ami over, ending the young girl's long praise of her dear friend, and with that conflict resolved the elder sister lost herself in the endless landscape of the ever changing clouds. That constantly created and recreated it. Her thoughts mulled over each other, and evidence of Amu's drifting mind was present in her distant and glazed eyes. This state was a perfect reflection of the hazy feel the last couple months had on Amu and her friends. After the Guardian's fight against Easter, all of the events with the nations that led to the battle and their departure; nothing had called them into as much action. Of course there was still the occasional X Egg, but Easter had been completely quiet since their last encounter. Amu gladly welcomed the pleasant change of pace while the more suspicious of her friends did not take the eerie vacation quite as well. Since seeing off the nations there had been some light communication between them in the form of brief letters; the ones Yaya received from Ivan only asked if she wanted to become one with Mother Russia.

The stroll through the park was an obscure experience to Amu as the conversation between her father and sister was muffled to her, and even the scenery surrounding the girl became unimportant enough that she might as well have been blindfolded. Though being that engrossed in her thoughts didn't help Amu. Even with the alarming cries of her Guardian Characters she was too dazed to react in time to the flimsy paper that smacked into her face as it finished riding on a suddenly rushed wind. Amu immediately snapped out of her zoned out state when the abrupt darkness blinded her lazing sight. Initially Amu was flipping out internally, but the stubborn outward character she had would not allow her to destroy its cool persona in the eyes of her family. Without so much as even a startled peep she nonchalantly plucked the sheet of paper off of her face and couldn't help but take a peek at its contents. Amu was disappointed to find what was printed on the paper turned out to be in English; with a signature apathetic huff she crumpled the useless sheet and calmly stated in a tinge of irk after tossing it aside, "Stupid."

Her small audience stood idly in awe and more than impressed with the cool and spicy act, but not all applauded her small feat. For as she spun around to continue walking; Amu met with a hysterical man running toward her who yelled in vain, "N-no! That's my- …paper…"

Ignoring everyone around him, the man dejectedly stepped past Amu and her family to bend over in order to retrieve his now mutilated paper. Amu wasn't sure if she was speechless because of whose paper she had happen to be struck with, or that the person in question had obviously failed to notice her. His movements were stiff yet an ominous tremble was present, but it too was restricted to jagged tremors that warned of the suppressed anger which it originated from. Amu and Tsumugu had enough sense to detect this and were lightly pushed back by his protruding intimidation, but Ami's face began to glow with the rise of an excited smile that her father could find no cause for. Then the man slowly turned around; taking time to precisely convey his frustration with each forceful step and said in a stressed tone that clearly showed signs of the more aggressive pitch he truly wanted to use, "Do you have any idea what was on this-?"

"Arthur!" Ami cheered, interrupting him, as she jumped up into England's fast reacting arms; stumbling over himself as he caught the incoming girl. The nation was taken aback for a moment before registering who was actually embracing him, and when he did England was pleasantly surprised as he offered a hearty laugh and warm pleasantries. Amu released a breath of relief and allowed her fearfully tensed limbs to loosen into a casual limpness. Tsumugu on the other hand warped his facial features into a mixed look of overprotective hatred and disgust at the young man's friendly behavior toward his daughter. When Amu noticed her father's disapproving disposition she froze in realization; he would definitely be expecting an explanation about how Ami knew an obviously foreign man so well, but she couldn't tell him how Arthur used to be a Guardian Character or that he was really a nation. Seeing Amu's true panicky nature slip through in her desperate pantomiming, England set Ami back onto the ground despite a short pout from the girl. He battled the moment of glum with a victorious smile before extending an open hand; addressing Tsumugu in a professional manner and introduced himself, "Hello, my name is Arthur Kirkland. I ran into some trouble a couple months back, and your daughters helped me out a great deal."

"Hinamori Tsumugu. Uh… What sort of trouble were you in, _Kirkland-san_?" Tsumugu quickly introduced and asked with an underlying suspicious tone and a biting hiss when he uttered the man's name. Tsumugu then begrudgingly grabbed a hold of the man's opened hand and released it as soon as he had given an anger filled squeeze. Ami paled slightly at her father's surprisingly intimidating presence, but she gently held her bottom lip with her front teeth as she remembered Arthur always talked about having a stiff upper lip. Without Miki's calm and cool demeanor to nullify Amu's other two Guardian Characters' spastic personalities, Ran and Su were free to begin the slow descent into full panic mode which started with an onslaught of uncontrollable and nervous shivering. Amu, with her father thoroughly distracted by his deathly glaring at Arthur, was able to grab her characters in a swift swipe and mute their startled yelps as she held them in a tight fist. While Tsumugu attempted to put up his most fearsome front; England casually answered the question as if he were oblivious to the other man's obvious desire to at the very least maim him for having any contact with his precious daughters, "Well you see a co-worker of mine had gotten lost in the city; and your daughters kindly offered a helping hand. If it weren't for their efforts, then he'd probably still be wandering around."

"A co-work, huh? And what exactly is it that you do for a living?" Tsumugu asked quickly, giving no pause to follow Arthur's last response. Ami had her head tilted up and bounding from one man to the other as each spoke. The curled ends of her hair bounced with every sharp movement she made in order to keep up with their conversation. Ami soon found increasing difficulty in keeping her upper lip stiff and her bottom lip held in place, as her father's angrily twitching tone implied malicious accusations with each question he shot at Arthur. Ami felt a little torn with his mistrust. She loved her father dearly, but Arthur was her friend. All Ami could do was widen her hopeful eyes and wish for some peace between the two. In contrast Amu stood in the background; amazed at the calm friendliness Arthur skillfully wielded, not to mention his quick and natural responses. Though, now that she thought about it Amu came to the conclusion that these kinds of situations must happen frequently to him. England spared no time in answering Tsumugu's fiercely asked question and happily stated, "I'm an ambassador from England here on business."

"Oh, really? England. Well-"Tsumugu began. He was more than ready to unleash a new wave of investigation questions when Amu, who was tired of his unfounded doubt, interrupted. At least that was her intention; but before she could even begin to open her mouth Ami burst out into a desperate cry, pleading her father to end the questioning. The elder sister was slightly annoyed at the unexpected interruption at first, but as Amu noted her father speedily dropping his aggressive front in order to take a more sensitive one she became grateful. He almost immediately began smothering Ami in an apologetic hug while sobbing out reassurances. With Tsumugu reverted to a more tolerable parenting mode, Amu finally released her Guardian Characters from her unintentionally crushing grip. Ran and Su gave their owner a synchronized, irritated glare that only lasted until Arthur smiled a sympathetic grin at them as he remembered his own experience in that deadly clutch. Amu's face got a light dusting of pink as she took notice of that peculiarly masculine quality of her's and offered a nervous laugh as condolence to the two offended parties. Ran and Su were quick to forgive the girl with strong smiles that gave the support to strengthen hers. Arthur waved the experience off and turned to Ami, who had fully brought back her usual happily energetic father and was trapped in the melodramatic hug. Once the girl caught sight of him she beamed an overjoyed smile at him.

Arthur chuckled a low and brief yet kind laugh at the strangely endearing scene and thought to himself, '_I'm awfully glad Ami intervened. Her father can be quite intimidating when he wants to be. Besides, I hate talking about myself in the third person. It's funny, but he reminds me of-_' Then England's mind wanderings were cut short as Amu took this opportune moment, since her father was distracted, to speak freely. She kept her voice hushed and unsurely whispered, "Art- Uh… I mean England, it's not that I'm not happy to see you, but what are you doing here?"

"Sh! Please don't use that name in public. I'm Arthur, and secondly like I said I happen to be here because of a work related matter." England rushed to shush her and cautiously glanced over to Tsumugu, releasing a heavy and relieved sigh to find him completely ignoring them. Amu took on an embarrassed blush that went up to the tips of her ears at the mistake. As the conversation came to a halt Ran and Su exchanged inquiring looks amongst themselves until it was inevitably decided to have Ran speak and satisfy their curiosity. The pink Character glided up in front of England's face which earned her a startled blink from him that soon eased away as she asked innocently, "Arthur! Uh… Is everyone else here too? It would be great to see Italy and everyone else again."

"As a matter of fact, they are. There was a world summit today, so there's even more of us here than last time. "England explained, lowering his voice when he referenced the other nations. Ran let out a cheer waving her pompoms in rhythm with her shouts while Su gave a soft but confident round of clapping, and her emerald eyes shimmered with untold happy thoughts. Amu could not help but think back to when she first found the frightened little Italian, and although he was generally a handful his odd charm had rubbed off on her. She may have not known the other nations, and even Italy to some extent, very well but they had left a kind impression on her. Then a thought struck her. Her Guardian Characters, could he see them? It seemed that way as the nation had wordlessly acknowledged them before and was equally speaking to them as he did to her. Amu starred down England with a surprised look that was meant to be serious but failed at doing so and loudly blurted, "What? You can see them!"

The yell was enough to bring Tsumugu out of his fawning and to attention as he placed Ami on the ground, reverting back to his previous defensive state. Amu paled slightly at the aggressive scowl her father wore. Tsumugu stepped menacingly toward Arthur and made himself a barrier between the Brit and his older daughter. He had a pair of yellow green eyes boring deep hate-filled holes through Arthur, and Tsumugu's face burned a harsh red while long creases stretched across his brow and forehead. Ami fled, scampering off quickly to hide behind her older sister's legs which were covered with goose bumps and lightly trembled. Ran tried to emulate the absent Miki's cool, cucumber attitude but only managed in becoming frozen stiff. Su sank down and hung onto Amu's shoulder as she shivered uncontrollably. At first England held a steady face under the pressure of Tsumugu's glare, and the other man kept his angered expression just as still.

Then the reddened color left his cheeks, and all the anger that was once etched firmly onto his features eased into a serious yet perplexed look. The cause of this was a sort of spark igniting in the nation's green eyes that gleamed in what could only be realization, but when the shine faded back into his dark pupils a melancholy heaviness hung on his face. Amu noticed a shift in both of the men's demeanors and settled into a look of confusion similar to the one her father wore. However Ami only became more concerned with the strange change and the Guardian Characters were moved enough by her worried glances hurriedly zipping around that they floated down to comfort her. She received them surprisingly well, without her normal rowdy gasps and with instead a gentle childish in her inviting palms which the Characters sat on. All of this resulted as England finished his earlier intruded thought and he hesitantly concluded, '_H-He reminds me of… of myself when America was-_'

It all came back with the mere utterance of that name which had once filled England with an overwhelming happiness; now left a bitter taste on his tongue by just the thought, actually having to say it revolted him. Most of the time the nation could swallow back those nauseous reactions, but Spring was coming to an end which meant Summer was starting soon. As America would surely be celebrating in the sun, he was just as likely to be remembering that rainy day or in a drunken unconsciousness. Even in that state England would be dreaming of those raindrops falling all around and on him, but when he would finally wake up his face would be wet with a mix of tears and alcohol instead. After perfectly predicting this inevitable outcome England blinked back into the present moment, and there as Tsumugu starred at him beyond confused the nation saw himself in the man's place desperately holding onto a young America with all of his might. Then reality kept creeping in on his hallucination again, but the Brit halfheartedly wished that it would not.

As the other three were unaware of Arthur's past or the flashes of his memories he was experiencing, they simply starred at him unsure of what to do. Even Tsumugu could not help but feel the sympathetic strings of his heart being plucked as he looked into the man's torn expression. He scolded himself for having felt such a feeling, but Tsugumu could not help but sense that some odd and powerful quality of Arthur forced him to do so. Ami's eyes welded with hot tears as her whole face flustered and nose became runny. The girl felt so ashamed as she finally let her bottom lip poke out that she quickly proceeded to bury her face into the fabric of her older sister's capri pants. England let out a tired sigh that seemed to have been held in for such a long time that it was quit short and quiet. The exhausted breath quivered as it unsurely came out. Arthur then looked up at Tsugumu with some sense of what was actually around him and slightly more composure than before. The nation struggled to find his voice within the dry throat he had but once it was acquired he said with a tremble, "_Hinamori-san… _I-I know we've only just met, and I can tell you don't care for me much at all but you… You must know- I have to tell you…"

Tsumugu only became more confused as Arthur jaggedly whispered his fragmented sentences, but England could not help himself because as the nation spoke his intrusive memories appeared more vividly with each word. He still continued to speak as his perception of the weather leapt between pelting rain and calm warmth. Arthur then stuttered with more firmness which slowly drew out the attention of Tsugumu, "I-I have to tell you… tell you something important. You see, I know what its' like- How it is when…"

'_Hey, England!_' There was his voice shouting as clear as the day when it sliced through the cold air and deafened the rain, but Arthur still continued despite the painful lump forming in his arid throat.

"…you have someone to care for, a daughter… or a son. It may not seem like it, but I know… because I use to be the guardian of a boy… A boy I cared for very dearly a-and still do… But!" At this point Amu was equally as drawn into England's words as her father was. The two were curious and in their perplexed states they lost any emotions they had before as the nation continued his plea, all of their previous feeling dissolved into just being there and listening to him. Even Ami took it upon herself to peer up from the soft and comforting rolls of her sister's clothing to pay attention, though the words seemed to float above her reach and understanding.

'_I'm no longer a child nor your little brother._' As England remembered these words in particular he frantically came up with many arguments to counter these claims, but they all were in vain so he instead focused on what he was saying at this moment to his small audience. Though, even that task seemed to become more and more difficult as his sense of the present blurred.

"But you must know- must learn from me and my mistakes! It will be hard to do, what I'm about to ask, but you must try. If not… If not, then you'll end up like me. All alone, so please…please let them be- be? "England came to an unsteady halt as he did not know what to say, or rather he knew but was unsure if he could.

'_From now on consider me independent!'_

"Let them be independent! Let them go, don't hold on to them too tight. Because... because they will find a way out, and when they do… t-they…"

"They won't come back?" Tsumugu finished unsurely and frightened at the conclusion he had made, but Arthur sadly nodded. Then a flash of red quickly crept onto his face as the nation realized how out of place everything he just said was, not to mention how classified the information he had just revealed was. England nervously looked back at Tsumugu, expecting more questions and hatred that he was too flustered to deal with. Instead he found a half understanding blatant in the man's eyes that the nation was completely familiar with. The recognition that one cannot keep their children from growing up but at the same time have that impossible wish tucked away deep within their heart. These words and especially this look the two men shared fell heavy on Amu as she was in that awkward age. The slow beginnings of such a change. Ran and Su were even more somber than her, as they unwillingly pondered their fleeting existence.

"I promise to come back Papa." Ami announced in a resolved tone after she unsuccessfully tried her hand at processing the deep material. Her confidence and genuineness were not truly earned but appreciated by her much older company, and all signs of their melancholy were washed away by a wave of optimism. Tsumugu kneeled down and scooped up Ami in his arms, thanking her for the oath that he had no doubts would be carried out. Amu placed a wordless hand on her father's shoulder, swearing as well. Tsumugu could not help but show Arthur a kind smile as he stood up with Ami in his arms, and when the young girl caught sight of the friendly exchange she proudly joined in and said full of hope. "And I'm sure that boy you were talking about will come back too!"

"That's kind of you to say, Ami but-"England started as he struggle to cling onto the little happiness he was able to pull from this experience. Until…

"_Hey Arthur!_"

England shuddered as the booming voice came crashing in on what was once such an almost lovely day. The next thing the Brit knew was that his neck was in a playful hold as a certain American wrapped an arm around him. With one arm latched onto England, the other held a half eaten hamburger as per usual. If England had not spotted the greasy sandwich through the corner of his eye, its revolting odor or the remnants of it on the other nation's face would have tipped him off as to it being near. The sudden and according to America, heroic entrance was followed by his unmistakable laugh which only made England wallow further in his own pain. An unhappy moan was ignored by America as he finally took notice of who was standing, in shock, before him. He flashed his signature cocky grin and excitedly greeted the startled girl, "Yo! What's up? It's Amu, right? Haven't seen you in a while. Oh! Thanks for last time. Sorry for leaving all of a sudden, but you know how it goes."

"Uh- No problem." Amu unsurely answered as she found a newly rekindled anger present within her father. Tsumugu starred at the much younger man. Man? No, he was a boy. And then came the thunderclap. Ran and Su tiredly sighed. They were back at square one with Tsumugu. Ami after thinking hard about it was finally able to recognize America and gave him a pleasant wave. He returned the gesture by issuing another yet this time more honestly happy laugh and gave her an excited thumbs-up. Ami was eager to copy the action with her own enthusiasm added, and this is when Tsumugu snapped. He quickly grabbed a hold of Amu's hand and jerked her away from the pair as he dragged her along. Then what came after the family's forced exit was a swift and annoyed farewell from Tsumugu.

"Oh. Uh- Goodbye_ Hinamori-san_. You too, Amu and Ami. Enjoy… the rest of your day. S-see you" Arthur yelled awkwardly as the three walked further and further away. After struggling out of the oblivious American's hold, England weakly waved back. He was pleasantly surprised and touched to see Ami shoot up her little arm to give him an enthralled wave back. Amu stuck up her hand too as she uttered a short exasperated laugh at another sudden goodbye. Then her face lost its bemused twitch when a slim figure behind England and America caught her attention. She only saw the phantom for a second, but that was enough to clearly identify him as Ikuto Tsukiyomi. Yoru was not far from his owner's side, and when the cat character saw Amu watching him and Ikuto an impish grin spread across his face.

Once Ikuto contracted this contagious smile, his head was adorned with the cat ears of his Character Change. Then he disappeared, but one detail about the mysterious boy had an impression on Amu that left her curious as to why it did. Clutched in his hands was a brightly colored wrapper. It was not until she and her family were nearly out of the park that it dawned on her. The burger America had been eating was partly packaged in the same wrapping. Amu wished she had made the connection sooner and resolved to ask America about it later. If she saw him again that is, but Amu could not shake the feeling that she would. This was more of a worry than relief to her. Especially with the shivers sent down her spine by a watchful glare from the older man sitting on a park bench that Amu failed to find as she passed him.

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><p><strong>AN: **It's a bird! It's a plane! Oh no, flase alarm. It's just a story. Anywho... Change of plans, instead of a few unconnected one-shots let's have a sequel to Egg Nation. Sound good? Good! Wow. This Author's Note sure is jumping around alot, but what can you do? Apparently nothing, oh well. Anyway, sorry for the delay. Waitng is never fun, but on a brighter note Happy Holidays~! And what better gift is there than the begining of a new story? Nothing! That's what. (I'm kidding of course) So since I'm home and have no life to speak of let's hope for an update along with that world peace, huh?

Peace~! -MagnifiedSun


	2. Hamburger Justice

**Defend That Nation- Hamburger Justice**

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><p><em>Earlier that day…<em>

'_That. Was. Awesome! We've never gone through a meeting that fast. Only the hero could've made such a feat possible._'

As if on cue, the self praising thought was proceeded by an unnaturally sparkly yet impressive and cocky grin. Any dignity from the heroic pose that accompanied the smile was lost when the certain American broke out into his instantly recognizable laugh, which bordered on giggles at the moment. But even the frankly disturbed looks he gained from the busy crowd around him could not bring down his soaring spirits. It was not just his questionable mannerisms that perplexed those who passed him in the streets. He did not blend in at all with the other frantic businessmen running around. As the young man walked he discarded a neatly pressed suit jacket in favor of his bomber one, untucking his white shirt and loosening the tie around his neck before just shoving it in a red backpack slung lazily over his shoulder. And then as a final touch, he slipped on a pair of black gloves. Not because his hands were cold, no. They just looked really cool, and in the space of a block or two what was once appeared to be a promising young entrepreneur transformed into a delinquent. And this delinquent had one mission in mind.

"God I'm hungry! It's gotta be noon at least, and that means I haven't eaten since this morning. Man! I can't believe they banned burgers from World Submits. Those jerks…" America complained, holding a hand over his stomach to emphasize the growl it emitted. Disappointment was added to his steadily increasing hunger as it seemed there was not a single burger joint in the midst of all the swanky restaurants. Though in hindsight it was to be expected, what cooperate head would want to make deals in a greasy burger shack anyway? And no, this American's opinion is not allowed to be a part of that statistic.

Eventually the nation decided to go down unknown streets on random guesswork in hope his luck would just lead him to his desired destination. Wherever it was. Though with each corner America turned he was met with an inkling of defeat. He must have seen dozens of French and Italian restaurants alone on his so far fruitless journey. It seemed that the pallet of every other nation could have been satisfied. And the further along he went, the more lost he became. Then America came to a point where he seriously considered forgoing hamburgers altogether in favor of pizza or the like. That is until his attention was caught by a surprisingly familiar alley way.

"I totally know where this is!" America exclaimed. He jumped down onto his hands and knees to get a better look at the scattered trash sprinkled on the ground. A knowing smile curled onto his face that uttered only a confident snicker. America pushed himself up with the least bit of effort and made a sharp turn that brought him to face another familiar location, the burger shack from his last albeit forced visit to Japan. The American glanced over at the lonely can which he could still perfectly picture Canada cowering in and nodded at it as a form of thanks. Though, this somber façade was overcome by a giddy childish smile as he began sprinting to the borderline seedy establishment. To America however it might as well been the gates to heaven, and the aching growls coming from his stomach were joined by flits of excited butterflies. Upon energetically pushing the glass door with more force than intended America was struck with an unexpected and annoying obstacle he had not foreseen, a line. With no other option available, this disgruntled American joined the line and began his anxious wait.

America tapped his foot incessantly and checked his watch God knows how many times. He even went so far as to stand on the tip of his toes despite being tall enough to see over the other costumers' heads. Then this unnecessary vantage point let America catch the sight of something else that was familiar to him, or rather someone. Two people in fact. Although they were quite a few spots ahead of him, and it was only their backs he saw. But America knew. How could he forget? After all they were the two who kidnapped-

"My hamburger!" America shouted the perplexingly random sentence fragment at the blue haired teenager and Cat character, though the latter was unseen by the rest of the bewildered customers. It only took a second for Ikuto Tsukiyomi and Yoru to turn around, recognize the American and break out into a nervous sweat before just running out of the restaurant. Filled with the intense desire for what he thought of as "justice" and the start of adrenaline pumping through his veins from the prospect of a chase, America followed the pair in pursuit. A few curious bystanders made a quick sprint to the door in order to find out the resolution of the conflict but were disappointed to see that the young man and foreigner had disappeared into the dark alley. Within the concealing shadows it only took one brief sideways glance from Ikuto for Yoru to boast a mischievous grin and slyly snicker, "Try and keep up. Character change"

_Ping!_

America hardly took notice of the newly perked cat ears or swishing tail Ikuto now sported. A confident smile slowly eased onto his face in light of the challenge, and he swore to himself not to lose. A tall, chain-linked fence stood deep into the alley and served as the first obstacle for the runners. With the help of his Character change, Ikuto effortlessly leapt over the fence and struck a perfect landing nonchalantly. He and Yoru glanced over their shoulders expecting to find America, at the most struggling to climb over. However their expectations were shattered as their gazes met with the nation halfway up the fence with one jump and speedily trekking to the top. Each chain link America slipped a foot into served as a rung to push himself from, and in no time at all he was being propelled off the top rail with a strong push as if it were a springboard. Landing with a succession of rolls and coming out of those in a fast run, America gave out a hearty laugh at the accomplishment.

While Yoru flew alongside his owner with his mouth hung open in amazement, Ikuto held his head down to hide an annoyed twitch at the American's success. Though, this grimace did not last long as he spotted a fire escape near a high wall that helped him regain his shortly lost edge. Ikuto, with a dark smile etched onto his face, purposely passed the ladder that usually served as entrance onto the fire escape and instead bounded into the air and over the guardrail. From there he continued to run up the zigzagging staircases of the fire escape. America, who had been on the back of Ikuto's heels, cursed aloud as he overshot the hanging ladder but luckily was able to turn around sharply and jump onto the lowest platform of the fire escape. He caught a hold of the guardrail's posts and pulled himself over to follow Ikuto. Adding rage at an underhanded trick such as that to what fueled the nation's run, resulted in a quick recovery of the ground America had lost.

Only a few stories above his pursuer at this point, which kept decreasing as America jumped over each set of stairs, Ikuto hopped off of the fire escape and onto the adjacent high wall. Though Ikuto's hope of the American missing the jump he himself had just made was in vain as America was soon running behind him atop the narrow ledge. With each tap of a footstep Ikuto prayed that America would lose his balance and fall, ending at this point an exhausting chase. But America was steadfast in his footing and began to catch up with him once again. In a last ditch effort to throw the American off again, Ikuto suddenly shot off of the wall and landed firmly on the dusty ground. Though he waited a second too long to continue running, as America had thrown himself off the wall and into the air. With gravity to take care of the rest, he landed on Ikuto and immediately afterwards regained his senses from the fall in order to pin down his "criminal".

_Ping. _Then with that sound the character change was undone.

"Sorry Ikuto" Yoru mumbled guiltily as the Cat character laid beside his owner, equally tired from the run. Instead of the incriminating scowl Yoru had anticipated on receiving from Ikuto, he was surprised and somewhat sad to find that the boy only shook his head somberly. While in the midst of his own panting America forced a few winded chuckles that were not taken well by his small company. Yoru attempted to compose himself with a swipe of a paw wiping across his face before floating up to eyelevel with America. The small cat glared at the nation with as much spite as he could covey through his round, golden eyes. Bearing his teeth and with a hiss to his words Yoru growled, "I'm not scared of you, stupid America. If you want your revenge against Ikuto, you're going to have to go through me first!"

"What're you talking about?" America asked, confused. The genuine simplicity which he spoke with relaxed the pricked hairs Yoru had in his tense stance for a moment, before returning along with a wave of anger at the American's blatant stupidity. America stood up, and though he was no longer holding Ikuto down he kept a tight grip on his collar as he dragged him up. Ikuto did not struggle against the hold as he was interested that America apparently had no intention for, what he considered a well deserved revenge. Yoru, losing any intimidation he had, angrily stormed through the air and childishly shouted, "Then why the hell were you chasing us to begin with?"

"Well. One, you ran so it was unavoidable that I'd follow you, especially after you challenged me like that. And two…" America began to explain, holding a figure up to emphasis his first point before bringing up a second to point out his next one.

"You owe me a burger, and I've come to collect!"

Ikuto and Yoru starred at America expecting more, but when the nation did not offer another reason they became even more confused. Surely no one would go through all that trouble for a hamburger, well no one but America because he had on only the most serious of faces after his explanation. There was no mistaking it, the nation gave no signs that he was kidding in the slightest. In fact his expression became graver as a thunderous growl gurgled from his stomach, America even let out a vague whimper as he patted it in the hopes of calming its cry. Ikuto looked at the young man curiously and hesitated before he asked, "So that's all you want, right? A burger"

"Well, duh! C'mon. Don't you even remember? I was all small and had worked my butt off to scrounge enough money to get a burger, and you took it. Ha! Can't believe you forgot" America enthusiastically retold suppressing a laugh he could not help but let loose at the end of his tale. Ikuto was able to hide his oddly vexed amazement more well than Yoru, whose mouth was left gapping open and eyebrows were held as high as they could go. The Cat character closed his eyes tightly and furrowed his brow before he bellowed a shout loud enough to even sting the ear drums of the much larger people present, "WHAT?"

"Ow. Hey man that was lou-"America began to complain drawing his hand from a rumbling stomach to an aching head before he was abruptly interrupted.

"Are you stupid or something? Ikuto and I are the ones who…" Yoru's grating yelled weakened into a hoarse whisper by the end of his sentence. Then his tensely perched ears drooped down, and he hung his sleek tail low in guilt at the memory. This graveness was more prominent on Ikuto's face as he averted his eyes away from America and gritted his teeth with a frown. America looked curiously as the sight, a trickle of sympathy pulsed through him. But another force swelled up inside the nation and erupted in a stark that soon became uncontrollable. Yoru simply bobbed in the air and was only able to blink blankly at the doubled-over American. Ikuto turned a set of eyes with a confused anger flickering in those blue orbs toward America, who was at this point desperately gasping for breath. Once America eagerly heaved in a couple satisfying breaths he cleared his throat, coughing back invasive laughter and happily explained, "Relax. I know you two aren't the villains. We did that transformation-thing, and even though I was all messed up I could tell what you were really like."

Ikuto sighed, a sense of relief washed over him, but he managed to play the gentle breath off as a slightly annoyed huff. America smiled and knowing and reassuring grin as he let go of his hold on Ikuto's collar, leaving a defined wrinkle from the exceptional strength the small grip had. Only Yoru had the vantage point to notice this detail and secretly snickered at it before a light rustle of the boy's hair covered the back of his collar. This coverage was not needed since shortly after America hooked his arm around Ikuto's neck and merrily led him back to the burger restaurant at a light jog due to the increasing severity of American's hunger pains. Yoru followed, gliding behind the pair and failing in his attempt to conceal his smirked chuckles.

Ikuto could only dart an irritated glare between the snickering Guardian Character and America, who boasted a very jovial laugh. Immediately they reached the brick wall where not that long ago their chase was staged. Ikuto was grateful when America unhooked the arm he had friendly around his neck, as the nation was oblivious to his own strength. Rubbing the back of his neck, Ikuto suppressed his instinct to wince in pain and instead watched America leap on top of the wall in a single bound. Yoru tooted an impressed whistle at the feat, before turning toward his owner in anticipation for permission to enact a Character Change. Ikuto casually waved to his character as a sign approving the suggestion, while still deeply massaging his neck muscles. Meanwhile America was crouching atop the wall's ledge, and as he waited the young nation noticed that Ikuto was still tending to his aching neck. And it did not even this particularly dense country to figure out what the cause was. America smiled an awkward grin that soon ceased under the pressure of his guilt and he nervously chuckled before the American admitted, "Sorry bud. I sometimes forget that I gotta be extra careful around humans."

_Ping!_

With the Character Change activated and a quick flick of the familiar cat ears and tail, Ikuto effortlessly hopped far into the air and lightly landed next to America with barely a tap to be heard. Still standing upright; the teen hardly gave notice of America or his previous comment before he abruptly mentioned in a cynical tone, "You shouldn't get too chummy with a black cat like me, who brings misfortune wherever he goes."

After the eerily vague message was delivered; Ikuto jumped from atop the wall, bounded off a railing along the fire escape and fell stylishly onto the ground. Leaving Yoru to merely float after him and America to awkwardly take in what Ikuto had said. Unable to conjure any other response besides scratching his head as he blinked his eyes curiously, America simply stepped off the ledge and stuck the landing with a loud thud. Upon slowly rising up to stand the small cloud of dust, flying up when the nation had fallen, gently settled back down. When he was fully upright America flicked the specks of dirt that had stuck to his jacket, then he fluffed the bomber jacket while holding his head slightly towards the ground. After, America hooked his eyes onto Ikuto, who had turned to begin the walk to the restaurant, and flashed a daring grin before calling out the teenager's name in a resolute voice. With his attention caught, Ikuto turned around almost annoyed by the added sidetrack while Yoru descended onto his shoulder. Though his brief irk dissolved and was replaced by intrigued when he saw a restless gleam shine in the nation's expansive blue eyes. Then America brightened up with an optimistic and yet goofy smile as he continued to speak, "Well I'm a pretty lucky guy so there shouldn't be too much to worry about."

Though he said this in an honestly peppy tone there was still, somehow a challenging stance to how the nation spoke as if he wanted to test his luck. Ikuto breathed out a calm chuckle as America lightly jogged to catch up with him, laughing along the way. Yoru sat, puzzled by Ikuto's generally friendly attitude towards the foreigner. The Cat character eventually shrugged his ponderings away. Yoru leisurely rode on Ikuto's shoulder, sprawled out in a relaxed pose, as his owner and the nation walked. Ikuto absentmindedly and with a bemused grin listened to America talk incessantly about his hunger as well as a number of other topics that went unaccounted by the unengaged teenager.

The three continued like this for a while, passing the fire escape Ikuto and America ran on earlier. When the trio arrived at the chain-linked fence, America ceased his babble with a mildly annoyed frown to replace the chattering mouth as he walked up to the fence, dragging his feet. He grabbed onto a link and prepared to heave himself up when the nation caught Ikuto in the corner of his eye shifting some wooden crates aside by the edge of the fence, exposing a large hole. America let go of his grip on the fence and his annoyance took on a twist of excited amazement at the reveal of a simpler route. However he was still irked by the previous concealment of such a path. His disapproval was made known by the American furrowing his brow into a somewhat childish pout as he walked on over and said, "Why didn't you just go through here before? It would've made catching you a whole lot easier."

"Isn't that the point of running away? To use any means necessary to outrun anyone chasing you." Yoru replied slowly, trying to find out if the nation was seriously asking a question with a blatantly obvious answer. As the Guardian Character sadly expected, America had no fluctuations in his voice or manner to suggest sarcasm. Ikuto had quickly grown to accept America's bluntness at this point and shrugged as he slipped through the decently sized hole, followed closely behind by America. And before either of them knew it they had stepped out of the shadowy alleyway and onto the sunny street, where the shade was overcome by the bright light of the day. Ikuto flinched and drew his hand up above his eyes to prevent them from being completely overwhelmed by the sudden sunlight. Yoru did not have to make any conscious effort to protect himself from the blinding light. The large pupils of his cat eyes only waned slightly as he lounged in the cover his owner's head and neck provided. America seemed even more chipper upon entering the sunbathed street. With his eyes closed shut he walked in marching bounds to their destination.

Ikuto strode alongside the nation trying to push persistent questions about the nation's curiously perfect navigation abilities out of his head. Luckily for him, or not, any previous thoughts occupying his mind vanished as his concentration was broken by the giggles from a pack of girls ogling at him. Ikuto then stepped past America and grabbed a hold onto the handle of the establishment's front door and pulled open its glass surface. A chilled breeze greeted them, which Ikuto hardly noticed. Yoru on the other hand grumpily curled into a ball as the cold welcomingly embraced him when he entered. America paid no attention to the pleasant air conditioning; eyeing the line or lack thereof intensely, petrified with a mixture of elatedness and suspicion at such perfect luck and timing. His mistrust was soon overpowered by the joyous relief swelling up inside of him as he dashed to the cash register, startling the poor cashier.

"Hello Miss, could I have the biggest burger you have? I'm really hungry!" America overzealously asked, almost shouting his order and nearly giving the already frightened young lady a heart attack. Then as if on cue America's stomach issued another tremendous roaring gurgle, emphasizing the desperation on his face. Ikuto silently slipped in from behind America, his abrupt appearance did not help the jumpy cashier either as she twitched with surprise upon noticing him. Yoru only cracked a peak through the corner of his eye to survey the antics and quietly snicker before returning to his catnap. Ikuto breathed a short and stifled sigh as America apologetically reviewed his order with the cashier. When she was finally able to piece together what the American had wanted the young lady hesitantly turned to Ikuto; who simply replied to the unasked question in a slightly disinterested tone, "I'll have what he's having."

The cashier fumbled a little as she prepared their order and unwillingly accepted the change; but American soon strolled out of the restaurant with a burger in hand and Ikuto in tow, friendly saying goodbye and waving as he left. It was at this moment Ikuto felt a surge of regret swell up inside of him as he eyed his own burger. Because, frankly, the thing was grossly large and he had a hard time believing that anyone, even America could consume it. That is until his gaze drifted to the American; who over animatedly opened his mouth to chomp down on the hamburger and happily munched on his first bite, savoring every ounce of flavor.

Yoru's cat ears perked up as the tempting scent wafted over to him, and his head poked up from the tight ball he held himself in. Then the rest of Yoru rose, and the cat character yawned as he took a laborious amount of time to stretch what seemed to be every single part of his body. Ikuto finally peeled away the brightly colored wrappings concealing his food and gently nudged the burger towards Yoru, offering him the first bite. Yoru cheerfully meowed in response and began nibbling on the hamburger. As Yoru continued to eat; America abruptly turned to take a quick peek at the restaurant, then he looked back at Ikuto with a light forlornness hanging on his features and mumbled sadly "That girl was the same person who waited on me before. I can't believe she didn't recognize me."

"Did that happen when you were a Guardia Character?" Yoru asked after he loudly gulped down the food in his mouth. America nodded cluelessly, to which Yoru face palmed his forehead without another word. This left America even more puzzled than before as he cocked his head sideways, confused. After Ikuto took a bite out of his burger; hiding his own frustration with the American, he informed in a cool tone that barely quivered with his suppressed annoyance "People can't see Guardian Characters unless they have one themselves."

With a quick snap following the brief explanation; America exclaimed in a voice of realization that almost sounded embarrassed at his own incompetence, "Oh! No wonder my boss has been acting like I'm crazy every time I talk about 'em."

"You actually tried to tell other people about Guardian Characters?" Yoru yelled, steadily becoming more irked with the American's carelessness. Ikuto then tapped Yoru on the head semi-playfully, breaking the cat character's concentration on his stream of anger. America though, not sensing any of this continued talking.

"Well… yeah! Just looking at you little guys gives me this hopeful feeling, you know? Like you're seeing all the dreams and potential people have." America said this with such an emotional sobriety that Ikuto and Yoru could hardly believe it, at first. Then Ikuto, who had been continuously munching on his food, breathed a short chuckle. Before either America or Yoru had time to react; Ikuto said lightly impressed with a twist of snark, "So you _can _be serious."

America erupted in laughter which spread to Yoru, who shrugged off any of his own more berating remarks and joined in. Then and there Ikuto decided he enjoyed this jovial America instead of the more serious one, even if he was a little more high-maintenance. The three kept walking as they ate, Ikuto shockingly finishing before America, not really paying attention to where they went. That was the case until they arrived at the entrance of the large city park. The moment the three entered the shaded shelter of the canopy and Yoru purred delightfully, America shortly and suddenly said "We're being followed."

Firstly perplexed at the abrupt notification but sure enough; when he slyly peaked over his shoulder, Ikuto spotted a couple of conspicuously inconspicuous goons. Yoru's pupils contracted into thin slivers, and he let out a small hiss at the sight of them. Ikuto narrowed his blue eyes as he and America continued their afternoon stroll, nonchalantly quickening their pace. Once they had a good distance from their pursuers Ikuto mumbled, "Those are defiantly some of Easter's thugs."

"But what're they doing here? The old man hasn't even made a peep since that _incident_." Yoru contemplated. Ikuto instinctively crushed the empty burger wrappings as his Guardian Character mentioned the Director. Then America inched closer to Ikuto as shot fast glances behind him, before slipping a torn corner of his wrapper he had just written on. Ikuto lifted the scrap up to find a series of numbers scribbled on it. America was quick to combat his company's unvoiced questions.

"It's my number. We're splitting up as soon as we make this sharp turn ahead. Go find your friends with the characters, I'll handle the other nations. We'll reconvene later."

"You make it sound easy. How are you so sure that something won't go terribly wrong?" Ikuto asked, with doubts that the Guardians would believe a word he said let alone join him in a confrontation floating in his mind.

"Because, I'm the hero!' America declared loudly and confidently as he placed an encouraging hand on Ikuto's shoulder. Yoru leapt into the air with a mischievous grin plastered on his face as he snickered with glee. Before he turned and beamed up at Ikuto, then the teenager finally succumbed to the enthusiasm and formed a smile in the corner of his mouth. Their speedy steps brought them closer to the turn with each hasty tap. In no time they were there and once the backs of their heels fell onto the path in front of them America and Ikuto dashed off in different directions.

Neither checked for a while to see if they had successfully thrown their stalkers off track but as each slowed to a stomping trot, they sighed in relief through their panting as none of Easter's agents could be found. America was then became so busy trying to remember the way back to the hotel where most of the nations were staying at that he narrowly passed England talking to two of the girls from last time.

'_Man, what luck. This is awesome!_' The nation thought excitedly before rushing over to the small group assembled. Though, as he made his way over America swore that an odd yell which faintly echoed sounded fairly familiar. The shout was obscured not only by its distance but also by the surrounding sounds, but he unsurely made the statement out to be…

"You're lucky I don't have my frying pan with me!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Look I finally finished chapter two! I can't wait for the anxious crowd of my loyal readers to- *_notices empty place where "loyal readers" once were_* Hmm... Maybe taking almost half a year to write a chapter does have adverse effects. I'll make a note. Joking aside, I'm really sorry. REALLY sorry! I promise to do better. It's not like I've picked up a few obsessions like Minecraft and Sims 3 and spend my time playing games or gallivant around my college campus instead of working on my stories... No. Of course not.

And now if you excuse me I have blocks to punch-

I mean sims to manage-

I mean...Peace~! -The totally focused, MagnifiedSun


	3. Primary Colors

**Defend That Nation- Primary Colors**

* * *

><p><em>Again earlier that day…<em>

"Make sure to drink the tea I made you, desu. It'll help you get well." Su advised as she fluffed Miki's pillow for the umpteenth time. Miki responded with a weak cough that was meant to be an agreement to the request, which prompted a sympathetic awe from Su. Then the idea of performing a 'get well' cheer dawned on Ran, and there was nothing that could stop her from going through with the loud routine. Miki could only wince as she was bombarded with the improvised shouts and synchronized pom-pom waves. Luckily Amu intervened when she did, ushering the two other characters out her bedroom door. Before leaving herself Amu asked in a soothing and concerned tone, "Are you sure you'll be alright by yourself?"

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine." Miki managed to whisper through the layers of blankets piled on top of her at Su's request. Amu gave a small smile as she gently closed the door behind her. Energetic taps beat on the floor, and from their impatient rhythm Miki was able to deduce that Ami was the source of this bounding. Underneath her bouncing was the mundane busywork from Amu's mother and proudly stomping footsteps of her father who marched his children out the front door. Beneath all of this commotion were the calm and faint glides Amu made herself. There were the usual overdramatic goodbyes of Tsumugu and Ami which contrasted greatly when followed by the stubbornly cool one Amu gave that came afterwards. Their exit was finished off by a decisive bang from the front door closing. When the group was gone the soft hums of Midori's singing seemed much louder than they normally did. Miki curiously poked her head out from under the covers in order to peak out the window, whose curtains were pulled back. She fully abandoned the blankets and floated out of the tiny bed in the dollhouse to get a better look out of the window. Miki let a sly grin break out on her face when she confirmed that the three were far out of range. Then the crushing guilt firmly gripped her heart, and the smile faded to a blank frown.

"I'm sorry, _Amu-chan_." Miki mumbled the apology as she starred distantly out the window or rather at her sad reflection. The blue Spade character slowly hovered over to the small bed and side-table with the piping hot cup of tea sitting on top. Then she shoved several of the extra pillows under the comforters, trying her best to create the illusion of somebody sleeping. Once Miki was satisfied with the setup she grabbed the teacup and zipped over to the trashcan, pouring the hot liquid in and filling the air with the light wafts of an herbal aroma. This scent only graced the air for a brief moment as the source was very miniscule. Miki soared to the window and mustered all her strength to just open it a crack. She then enjoyed Midori's peaceful tune before shutting herself from the sound entirely as she pushed the window closed behind her and left. Running off like this had become a habit of Miki's recently. Miki sometimes drew in her sketchbook, but mostly she thought. Today was one of those days spent lost in thought.

'_I-I can't remember the last time I transformed or even Character Changed with _Amu-chan. _Maybe… she doesn't like me as much as Ran and Su. Or am I not as strong?_' She pondered. The depressed thinking clearly showed itself with a small trembling frown. Miki floated along in this state for a while, passing an untold amount of people in her mindless drift through the city. None of the boisterous sights or sounds could catch her attention as they usually did, and her frown only deepened as Miki's face became flushed from her welled up tears. Then those large drops were beginning to breach her tightly shut eyes. Her heavy thoughts soon started to weigh Miki down, and she began attempting to battle against the sinking bobs as well. Miki could clearly see it was an impossible task to stay afloat, and she decided to settle in a crevice spotted through her blurred vision. Her discovered shelter turned out to be an indent created by a missing brick in a wall.

Once there Miki sat in the farthest corner with her knees tucked under the chin and her arms wrapped around, curling up as tight as she could. Miki looked out bleakly from the hole at the few who passed in this slow-moving part of town. Then she buried her face into the soft fabric of her shorts and finally let the tears building up spill out. Sobs were muffled and tears absorbed, but their presence was evident by the heaving back from her intense breaths and her damp clothing.

'_It's always Ran, and then Su. She's even done it more with El than me!_' This and similar thoughts piled up in Miki's heart and mind as she sat there crying, alone in the dark. Then the small nook became even darker as a large shadow was casted inside. Miki did not dare to look up, ashamed someone found her in this state and dreading with fear it was Amu who had noticed her. However those anxieties were put to rest as Miki was overwhelmed by the feeling of a warm and fluffy substance that filled the cranny. After Miki mopped any remaining tears with her long sleeves and swallowed her shaky breaths; she then hesitantly lifted her head up to find a little, yellow chick perched on the edge of the hole and nearly all the way inside.

"W-what do you want?" Miki asked in a tone more spiteful than she had intended, even wincing after her malice sounding words were spoken. She peaked through the corner of a cracked open eye to see the bird had taken no offense and only blankly blinked at her before it whistled, "_Chirp chirp? Chirp chirp. _(Why were you crying just now? That's not awesome at all.)"

"Why do you care? You don't even know me." Miki asked in genuine curiosity with a touch of forlornness

"Hey, Gilbird! What the hell did you run off for?" A voice called and by the conclusion of its question Gilbird flew off with a great _whoosh_, revealing a man standing in front of the gap in the wall. The sudden appearance of him spooked the sad Guardian Character into a set of nervous shivers but once he brought his face down to take a look at what could have prompted his bird to fly off, Miki calmed down as she slowly recognized the man. His whitish hair and red eyes should have been a dead giveaway; but Miki, in her partly startled state, could not make the connection. The Guardian Character's puzzled stare cued the man of her stumbling thoughts, and when he applied his own memory retrieval he was far more successful. He first sported his hissing laugh at beating the small girl in their unofficial memory race; then the man proudly announced, "Little blue, I know you! Yeah. I remember, from that battle. Man, how awesome was I? I nearly had you all beat."

Miki lightly blushed at the pet name but still managed to vaguely nod with what he said. The mention of that fight was just the trigger to make it all click in her mind, flooding her consciousness with instances of flashbulb memories. Though even with these past snippets, Miki could not conclusively deduce which nation she was currently addressing. Finally she decided to directly exchange names and concretely know his identity than go through all the, at this point exhausting, mind work. Miki quietly cleared her throat and wobbly stood up; noticing the plastic grocery bag held by his side as she weakly greeted, "H-hi. I'm Miki Amu-chan's Guardian Chara-"

"Hmm… I think I like Little blue better. Anyway this is Gilbird" He interrupted, briefly pointing a finger up towards the top of his head at the happily bouncing bird. Gilbird's overly cheerful disposition brought a small smile to her face despite the rude interjection. ", and I am the awesome Prussia!"

The last part was shouted out in such a confident and self-enamored tone that Miki felt an odd combination of envy and concern for his mental state but as the short queasiness of the conflicting emotions wore off, she felt only impressed by him. Then as Prussia had started to laugh again, Gilbird angrily pecked on his owner's head while he fluffed his feathers up in intimidation. The nation's laughter immediately ceased with the barrage of thumping stings. Prussia swatted his hand up but because Gilbird narrowly evaded the attack by taking flight, he ended up smacking himself instead. The bird sung mockingly at the man tenderly rubbing his head from the self-inflicted pain. Gilbird's teasing peeps resulted in Prussia furrowing his brow, much like is brother, and chasing the flighty bird as it flitted about. Miki politely covered her mouth as she giggled at the comedic duo, but as her laughter faded in the loud antics of the two as a lonely wave of isolation washed over her.

'_They so easily forgot about me. Am I really so forgettable and uninteresting? Is that how Amu-chan thinks of me too?_' Miki thought as she hung her head very low, starring sadly at her feet. Though while she was distracted, Gilbird; after expertly diving to avoid Prussia's gasp, flew into the hole again. His unexpected entrance gave Miki such a fright that after she uttered a squeaky yelp, she was frozen with fear. While Miki suffered from her nervous paralysis, Gilbird snatched the Spade character by the collar of her shirt in his beak and soared off just as Prussia's hand came in to swipe at the bird. Gilbird fluttered around in what so strongly resembled a drunken stumble as the chick ferried Miki over to the infuriated Prussia. Once they were hovering right over the nation's head, Gilbird steadily sunk down with Miki onto the bird's most favored and comfortable spot. As Miki was placed in the mop of hair, her stiffness melted away as she was encompassed in a blanket of warmth. The heat only became more intense as Gilbird nestled himself behind her. After they had landed on top of him; Prussia's fury was extinguished with one last huff from him before he groaned, "Oh… so that's what you wanted. You're such a temperamental bird, but the awesome Prussia will allow you to bring a guest. Looks like it's your lucky day Little blue!"

"_Chirp chirp. Chirp! _(Sorry. He can be a handful sometimes, but you looked like you could use some cheering up. And he really is awesome!)" Gilbird twittered in between Prussia's restored and only short-lived laughter. Miki's originally confused expression broke out into a small and simple smile while her cheeks were dusted with the most humble of blushes. Gilbird then nuzzled into Miki as she leaned against the bird and he nested himself deeper in the layer of white hair. However before leaving the wall with the hole in it; Prussia playfully flicked a finger at his bird claiming it was payback for its temper tantrum. To which in response, Gilbird gently tugged at a strand of hair with disapproval. After their short banter Prussia began to walk.

As soon as his first steps were taken, the sun greeted Miki and graced her with its tantalizing rays that methodically stroked her skin into a calming submission. Though, the sunlight soon became overbearing on Miki's eyes as it glared off the many reflective surfaces it bounded from. She then was also burdened with a set of leaded eyelids and an immense exhaustion. Miki gradually surrendered to the weariness and slowly closed her eyes, drifting on the edge of sleep. The breeze came next. Bringing with it a euphoric wind that tentatively parted and played with her bangs, savoring every moment. It ruffled up the heap of pale locks she sat in and Gilbird's delicate feathers. Both of which tickled the Guardian Character as they lazily rubbed up against her. As Prussia walked, his steady and rhythmic steps softly bounced Miki and Gilbird. This in combination with the wind rustled the grocery bag swaying to and fro, created a swooshing white noise that seamlessly blended with his footsteps. Then the breeze breathed a fresh and crisp scent mulled in with the afternoon's lethargic warmness that was unmistakably the smell of trees.

When Miki eventually and with a tinge of unwillingness, opened her eyes; she found herself surrounded by what appeared to be a forest of healthy, green trees. Only upon further inspection did Miki discover the perfectly paved paths and copious amount of tended flowerbeds and came to the realization that she was at the city park. Then Prussia ventured slightly off of the path and headed towards a particularly large tree, whose looming branches stretched over the trail. At the thick base of the tree the nation stopped, and he poked the chick resting on his head until it woke up drowsily with a shudder. Miki stumbled onto her feet as she stood up and then floated into the air. After breathing out a very long and drawn out yawn, she rubbed her eyes and perked up just in time to notice Prussia unloading the bag he had opened in front of him. Gilbird tweeted cheerfully as his owner carefully handed him a balloon, color-coordinated to match him and filled with water. For a second he worriedly watched as the tiny bird unsteadily flew; desperately flapping its wings until it plopped onto an overhead branch very high up, barely with the balloon safely intact. Then Prussia produced a swelling, blue water balloon from the bag and offered it to Miki; who timidly accepted it, and as the character struggled to hang onto her new load she asked with much difficulty, "Uh- umm… P-Prussia, what're we going to do with these?"

"It's simple, Little blue." He began civilly and to some extent condescendingly, specifically as he addressed her.

"After every World Summit held here in Japan, Austria and Hungary walk through this park. Our mission is to set up a surveillance point in this tree; and when our targets come into range, we conduct an aerial strike!" Prussia explained; his own excitement for the impish yet militaristic plan rising as he spoke and culminating in him shouting with such zeal that he nearly dropped his own red water balloon as the nation struck a final, grand pose. Miki hovered in an awkward silence, unable to think of a proper response and already having trouble deciphering what Prussia had said in the first place. She opened her mouth several times to speak, dryly failing each attempt, as Prussia stuffed the empty plastic bag into his pants pocket. Then luckily; Gilbird was able to pick up on the apparent incomprehension exhibited by Miki, which went uncheck by Prussia as he snickered to himself. Gilbird politely whistled, "_Chirp chirp._ (We're playing a prank on Austria and Hungary, our long-time enemies.)"

"Oh! Uh… why? What did they do that was terrible enough to warrant this?" Miki pondered aloud, gesturing to her balloon for emphasis. Prussia was initially taken aback at the question and had to seriously think of an answer for a moment but begrudgingly, he came to one…

"I can't let them forget… I can't let _any_of them forget that I am still here, and I am _not_weak! A-and… it's kind of… fun, you know. T-the great Prussia does not need to explain himself to you!" When Prussia started the brief speech his voice was cold and grim as the words came off of his tongue in a shallow whisper. Then his tone dove into a bottomless depth, brimming with a similar and yet very different drive Miki had witnessed before during the battle with Easter. Though, she was relieved when Prussia withdrew from his inklings of bloodlust into a faltering and lastly embarrassed tone that bore a flustered sincerity to it. Miki gazed down into her reflection shinning on the sleek surface of the balloon. The hazy replica searched through the discerning deep blue eyes of its source.

'_To not be forgotten? To not be weak? I know this is ironic, me being a Guardian Character and all, but I wish I could change my self and be more like him._' Miki thought as she grunted a stiff chuckle.

"Hey! You coming?" Prussia shouted from far up in the tree, covered by the dense foliage. The call snapped her out of the contemplative state, and she scurried up into the tree as well. When Miki joined Prussia and Gilbird, huddled together; her heart anxiously beat in anticipation and stomach churned uneasily with fluttering butterflies. Then Miki's palms became clammy, as sweat also crowned her brow. Her grip on the water balloon loosened to the point where she fumbled with it in her slippery hands. Next a shiver shook in her knees; knocking them together and a chill rushed up her spine, and soon all of Miki's body was overwhelmed by volatile quivering. When she shyly peaked up over her shoulder Miki found both Prussia and Gilbird solidly still as stone, ever alert and vigilant.

'_I can't do this. I can't do this. I can't do this! I don't have anything against these people. I don't even know them._' Miki thought nervously, internally flipping out.

"Here they come!" Prussia announced in an eager whisper, adjusting his grasp on the balloon in preparation. Miki uncertainly looked at the two approaching figures coming into view. Each of their synchronized footsteps brought the couple closer, inch by inch, to the devious trap waiting for them. Their fluid movements mesmerized Miki; the gracefulness with which they glided was deemed a waste by the artist, to be spent on a trivial activity such as walking. The elegant pair looked more suited for a regal ballroom than a common city park. She was soon consumed with the desire to sketch a portrait of the pair. Her jittering nerves hardened as she merely stood, clutching onto the balloon. Sooner than Miki would have liked; Austria and Hungary entered the shade of the tree, drawing a shadowy curtain over their sun draped faces.

It was now or never, and Miki was nowhere near close to making a decision. Prussia ushered a giddy chuckle and dawned on one last Cheshire cat grin before releasing his water balloon and waiting expectantly. Gilbird, in perfect tune with the nation, let its water filled balloon go the exact moment Prussia did. Time stopped then for Miki as the other two balloons were in mid-fall. Though she did not question what came next; the Guardian Character swore she saw her owner, Amu Hinamori, in place of the unsuspecting countries. At the clearly delusional sight of the girl, she was filled with an unfamiliar anger that quickly took course and surged through her veins. And with a malice laced smile sliding across her lips, Miki pushed the water balloon with all the strength she could summon. Then as time slowly picked up its pace and Miki's perception was somewhat reintegrated back into reality, she realized just as the three water balloons were falling together; that they were red, blue, and yellow. Miki then could not help herself but think in appreciation…

'_Red. Blue. Yellow. It's the primary colors._'

_Splish splash! Splosh!_

Miki whole heartedly joined in the uproarious laughter that followed, without a pang of guilt tugging at her conscience. The once pristine pair were now sopping wet and looked dumbfounded through soaked hair stuck to their faces. All shivered movements made by them were lumbering and over exaggerated from their wet, heavy clothing. The three pranksters' uncontained hysterics almost immediately gave away their position once the nations' initial shock wore off. Hungary tightened her fists threateningly as she starred down Prussia; her green eyes wavering with rage as she growled menacingly, "Prussia…"

"Ha! Now you weaklings have suffered at the hand of the great and powerful Prussia once again. And though I would love to stay and fight the time calls for an awesome tactical retreat. Gilbird! Little blue! Let's go." Prussia taunted loudly as he stood up on the branch to further emphasize his superiority before he effortlessly leapt out of the tree and nimbly landed, proceeded by Gilbird and Miki. From his landing, Prussia continued his motion and pushed off of the ground to begin a sprint that quickly transitioned into a run. Then as soon as Hungary made signs of pursuing him by taking a few soddened steps as a start to a dash, Prussia burrowed a hand into his pocket and pulled out the bag from earlier which he threw behind him. The grocery bag parachuted open as a breeze carried it swiftly through the air and straight into the raging Hungary's face. Once her vision was obscured by the unanticipated projectile, Hungary skidded to a halt as she angrily clawed at the bag. When she finally tore the plastic bag apart and ripped it off from her face Hungary gritted her teeth as she watched Prussia disappear into the prominent foliage and screamed in vain, "You're lucky I don't have my frying pan with me!"

Austria cautiously approached the fuming Hungary, trying to shake out the water from his sleeves as he slowly stepped towards her. When he reached her, Hungary was heaving intimidating snarls and digging her nails deep into her clenched fists as she shook with furry. Austria trembled in fear, frightened and unsure of how to deal with Hungary in the state she was in. Ultimately; Austria nervously coughed aside to clear out his arid throat and in an attempt to change the subject warily stuttered, "W-who is Little blue?"

Miki flew faster than she had ever flown before, zipping around as she navigated her way through the intricately woven branches of the bushes and other shrubs. Her heart skipped beats as it wildly hopped around in a scattered frenzy. Adrenaline fueled her mad flight as it pulsated through every fiber of her being, lifting her spirits past the clouds. Gilbird had the sense to glide easily above the obstacle of intertwined greenery. Once he spotted Miki through the floral mesh; Gilbird swooped in and snatched Miki by the bottom of her sweater vest, scooping her up into the clear air. He tossed the Spade character where she landed on the back of a breeze and used this springboard to propel herself further ahead. Prussia kept up with the soaring Guardian Character despite having to push through dense, forested areas. Without so much as a second thought, he tromped through the plants and even bulldozed several wild flowers. Then their trek led them to one of the familiar winding paths once again. Still fleeing, they rushed down the pathway and allowed it to guide them out of the park.

Their pace steadily calmed into a gentle float for the airborne ones and a slow stride for Prussia. However, they all shared a similar gasping pant that had them bent over heaving desperately for air. The three looked drastically out of place in the urban setting as well. Prussia had leaves and twigs stuck all over him, and dirt smeared across the bottom of his pant legs and shoes. Miki had grass stains covering the front of her clothes. There were snags running up and down her sleeves and shorts. Finally, she had patches of dirt painted onto her face. Even Gilbird had his yellow feathers messily ruffled and fringed with filth from his momentary dive into the bush. The few that dared to walk near the lot either kept their head down or shot them judgmental glares. Prussia shrugged off these preconceptions as Gilbird and Miki plopped onto his head for a rest. Though, Miki could only beam at the sky as she kicked her legs up animatedly in a childishly happy manner and sighed out, "I can't believe I did it… That was so much fun!"

"Yeah! For a second though I thought you were going to back out, but you came through Little blue. You're not half bad." Prussia coolly stated in an approving tone, but Miki was still taken with the backwards compliment as shades of her red blush bore through the dirt brushed over her cheeks. Miki's hand then lightly fell onto her pale blue messenger bag and yanked at the sturdy material longingly, suddenly filled with the nagging need to sketch. As she traced the faint impressions of her drawing implements, Miki was reminded of the previous subjects she had wished to depict. The Guardian Character sat in disbelief at how she had wanted to use her talents to illustrate complete strangers. Miki shook her head and with a smile looked down at Prussia, the new muse she so badly desired to draw.

"_Chirp chirp! _(Not half bad? She was awesome!)" Gilbird twittered enthusiastically, flapping his wing in a peppy flailing motion.

Then a catchy jingle rang out from Prussia's pants pocket and with a groan; he begrudgingly fetched out the source of the noise, which turned out to be a cellular phone. Gilbird jumped up in surprise at the sudden sound but sung a weary sigh as he nested himself again on his perch, squawking rudely at the disturbance. The nation took one quick glance at the lit screen to figure out who was calling, though from his dreading expression Miki could tell he had a fair idea already. Her suspicions were confirmed when his brief inspection resulted in Prussia rolling his eyes apathetically as the country muttered, "He's calling again…"

"Who?" Miki asked simply, her naïve curiosity showing in her sweet tone. She hovered off of the nation's head and down to get a better look at the phone. In her peak at the device, Miki's discovery was disappointing as the caller identification was displayed in a language foreign to her. She then looked up with some concern brimming in her deep eyes and questioned, "Aren't you going to answer it?"

"It's Germany, and no I won't. West has been even more of a nag recently. Ever since that battle he keeps track of everything I do. It's annoying!" Prussia spat shortly before going on in a more tired and irked voice.

"_Chirp…_ (We had to sneak away from him just to do this stunt.)" Gilbird hooted gloomily, sadness dripping from his grave coos. The metallic tune finally ended and was ensued by a solitary _beep_, and then Prussia slid the phone back into his pocket. Miki wore a worried face as she watched Prussia's long and slow movements. Then these creeping motions were juxtaposed with a fast shift of the nation's head as he turned to face a seemingly empty street Miki drew her gaze around as well, noting the traffic cones marking the top of the road and sectioning it off. From the shadows emerged men in black suits, bearing guns all aimed at Prussia. As the agents hesitantly walked out and started to slowly encircle the three, one man stepped out from the rest and leisurely strolled towards Prussia.

"You" Prussia stated bitterly, his biting anger was carried and conveyed through that single word.

"I'm glad you remember me, Prussia. Now you can either come quietly or will be taken by force. Your choice" The man in front replied cockily while Prussia glowered at him, disgust and rage resonating in his blood red eyes. Gilbird stood on edge as he held his wings out to their full span and inflated himself out. Miki had to idea as to who this man was and cluelessly floated beside the nation, her defenses up though. Prussia knew him however. This was the man who had ambushed him in Italy, a lean and dangerous fellow. Miki grew nervous as Prussia stood there, doing nothing while the tall man's cohorts continued advancing. There were six men in all, including the leader. The five others had just inched past the head thug; two went around his right and three were on his left, when Prussia nonchalantly threw up his hands. He then calmly moseyed on up to the leader of the group which caused all of the other men to halt. Miki drifted in tow, all shouts of protest lost to a gaping mouth and a mind blanking from the country's willingness to surrender. Gilbird remained in his fierce stance, glaring formidably at all the men clad in black. The well-built man let a grin break out at the corner of his mouth as Prussia stopped in front of him. Unbeknownst to him, his men had gradually lowered their weapons. Then Prussia revealed his own smirk.

"Don't use my name so casually you cocky bastard!" Prussia quickly roared before administering a swift yet hard punch to his solar plexus, rendering him useless as he collapsed. Gilbird took off from his roost in a yellow blur as his owner initiated the attack; and the bird rammed himself into the face of the closest goon on its left, where after the impact the chick peaked and clawed at its target. At this point the men held up their firearms and took aim; but unfortunately for the first two on Prussia's right, he avoided their shots as the albino crouched down and subdued them with one fell swoop of his kicking leg. The agent Gilbird had assaulted fired wildly; hitting his teammate next to him with what Miki found out was some kind of dart as a thin needle scrapped against her side. She cried out a shout of pain as the Guardian Character dropped down a bit in the air and watched as the man also struck fell into a nullified state.

Her pained yell grabbed the attention of Prussia; who caught the Spade character as she wobbled, disoriented down. Then Prussia evaded another round of darts fired by the last capable man standing as he jumped back and performed several one-handed back-handsprings. At the notice of his owner's withdrawal Gilbird delivered one last slash with his small talons and flew back. As Prussia came out of his last handspring, Miki saw through her partially sleepy eyes a stray dart shot by the agent scratched by Gilbird that went unaccounted for by Prussia.

"Prussia, look out!" Miki warned as she rose in a speedy panic and soared into the air between him and the impending needle. With her arms outstretched and eyes tightly shut as she anticipated the blow, the Spade character felt a distantly familiar warm glow instead. The two men whom Prussia had knocked down staggered as they stood up, grunting and in a mystified awe when a bright light enveloped the country with its sparkling rays. As abruptly as the ball of light had appeared; it vanished, presenting a new foe in the glory of its afterglow.

Character Transformation: Awesome Spade!

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **It's so long... I think I need to exercise some self-control, or do you all actually like it this way? Tell me in your review! Anyway, explaining time. Miki is my ABSOLUTE favorite Guardian Character, and it makes me so mad that she is NEVER used in the anime or manga. So this one's for you Miki! Hope spending some time and getting into trouble with Prussia and Gilbird will make up for the neglect in your own series. Also, what Gilbird says is only translated because I'm _pretty __sure _Guardian Characters can understand animals... But I could be dead wrong, I haven't seen Shugo Chara in a while.

I should probably rewatch Shugo Chara again but... Oh who am I kidding? I'll be watching The Legend of Korra instead. (Seriously it's awesome!)

Bringing balance to- ...the something or another. Peace~! -MagnifiedSun


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